The role of a cybersecurity leader within an organization has significantly changed and grown in a short amount of time. The cybersecurity function is no longer a standalone function that has traditionally operated in silo from the rest of the organization. The role of cybersecurity within the organization touches every aspect of your business and is one that requires new evolving qualities. A cybersecurity leader has traditionally been thought of as a technical type of leader, but this role has shifted to become more of a business acumen that can represent risk at the broader organization level. The need to translate and relate technical skills still holds incredible value at this level. Having both these qualities is becoming a requirement for this role. Because of the importance of cybersecurity, we are seeing a significant increase in the need for C-level representation at the executive and boardroom levels, and this role as we know it today is the Chief Information...

Everyone’s favorite topic: managing the budget. As you continue to grow your career into management and leadership, you will find the responsibility of financial management continues to become a larger responsibility. The reality is that everything about an organization revolves around the bottom line, otherwise known as the income. If there is no money available, a company simply cannot operate. Part of your role as a cybersecurity leader plays into the larger organization as it relates to finances. You will need to manage a set budget, you will continuously be challenged against that budget, and you will always be asked for ways to cut your budget. It is important that you manage finances efficiently and always be one step ahead when needing to justify the need to retain and potentially increase your budget needs.

Whether your organization is public, nonprofit, or private, you will need to understand financial management at the broader organization...

To provide additional visibility into how your cybersecurity program looks and what is involved, you will need to provide some form of representation of the program. Within this representation, you will want to highlight the specific functions needed to run your cybersecurity program. This can be done in many ways and may differ per organization and different industries you are in, but having this in place helps provide your leadership teams and the broader organization with better insight into how the cybersecurity program is being executed and operates on a day-to-day basis.

As we work through this book, we will follow the premise of ten core functions that I believe every organization will foundationally need as the building blocks for their cybersecurity program. These core functions are:

• Cybersecurity architecture
• Identity and access management
• Cybersecurity operations
• Cybersecurity awareness, training...

Before going into more detail on the organization’s structure, roles, and responsibilities, it is important that you spend some time creating a mission and vision for the cybersecurity organization. As we previously discussed, there will be (or should be) a mission and vision at the organization level and there is a high probability that other functions/units within the organization have their own. Having one for the cybersecurity organization will help the broader organization understand your purpose, values, and goals being delivered for the organization. This is something that can also be shared among other leaders within the organization and something that can be included in any presentations or materials being shared with the broader organization.

A simple cybersecurity mission and vision could look something like this:

Mission

Protect and secure the people, assets, and data at “your company” from the ongoing...

One extremely important component that tends to be overlooked frequently is that of change management. Not just within the cybersecurity program, but the broader organization. We tend to find ourselves so busy with the need to move fast that change management is either rushed without thought or bypassed altogether. It is critical that you understand the importance of change management and its place as part of the overall organization and the cybersecurity program. Some benefits that come to mind with good change management include:

• It ensures that testing has been completed, the change is documented, and backout plans are in place.
• It provides an avenue to ensure communication is occurring across the broader organization.
• It allows your support center to be better prepared.
• It reduces risk by following a documented process with the correct controls in place.
• It enforces changes to follow a schedule that everyone agrees to versus...

Ensuring you spend time to implement or review the current foundations in place will only set the program up for greater success. With the dynamics of cybersecurity constantly changing and evolving, you will want to have frequent reviews of the broader program to stay relevant. Being a cybersecurity leader today requires an understanding of the entire organization. You need to learn how to navigate the organization efficiently and build positive relationships throughout.

In addition, translating risk into business terms will only provide greater advantages as you collaborate more with the business. As with any leader, you will need to understand finances and how to manage them. Your program will continue to evolve and the need for funding will be an ongoing requirement as part of your role.

Laying the core building blocks for your cybersecurity program is something that must be completed by all cybersecurity leaders. Having this in place provides greater transparency...